The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-10-26
MANDOLIN.
A Pleasing italian Musical Instrument
that Is just Now In Fashion.

Tho mandolin is the reigning fash
ionable caprice, having quite superseded
the banjo in the esteem Of the ladies.
That il should have done so is by no
means strange, for it Is really a charm
ing little instrument when at all de-
Gently played, is not very difficult to
learn, and has a good deal more style
and finish about it than the banjo has.
However the latter may be adorned
with nickel-plating, mother-of-pearl,
and all sorts of gaudy ornamentation.
it has n plebeian look about it and sug-
gests The idea of a field-hand in his
Sunday suit.
The only unpleasant feature about it
to the learner is the knife-blade-like
sharpness of its fine wire strings. There
are eight strings, in pairs, all OF steel
wire. Two pairs are wound with Ger
maj silver, and are not so cruel as the
others, but unwound four, hardly thicker
than horse hairs, seem to cut to the
bone the finger ends that press them
down upon the frets. OF course that
pain and trouble ends when each
finger of the left hand is tipped with a
bony, callous spot, and one must expect
some such trouble in forming q close
acquaintance with any stringed instru-
lSl " hSll AotuIO hho PLcfA NSN hboN
| protection, the mandolin player, if an
expert, can produce some very pleasing
effects by producing the tones by per-
cussion on the strings over the frets,
instead Of by stunning with a bit of
tortoise shell held between the thumb
and forefinger of the right hand, which
is the ordinary way OF playing.
The Spanish mandola is much like
the Italian mandolin in its gen.
eral features, but has important
differences from it nevertheless. Its
body is shallower, shaped more like the
bowl Of a spoon than the half Of an egg
divided lengthwise, which is the form
Of the instrument beloved in Naples
and Rome; its strings are Of catgut in
stead Of steel, and its tone is not SO
sharp and incisive. Either mandola or
mandolin, however, has q surprising
volume of sound for so small q body,
and dominates pleasingly the tones Of
q guitar, or even those of q piano.
Expert players have a way Of main
tanning an increasing tremolando By
keeping the little instrument in a con
stantly quivering motion while they are
executing q solo, that at least looks as
il it would be rather hard to effect and
harder yet 10 continue for any length Of
time, but the lengthening of vibrations
thus achieved prettily supplies the lack
of a supporting instrument, The power
of controlling the volume of sound in q
skillful performer is really surprising
and extremely effective in rendition Of
the peculiar passionate and s%ensuous
music to which the mandolin is best
adapted.
While the mandolin is easy to learn,
up TO q certain point, it is. like all
seemingly simple instruments, very
difficult to develop 10 its highest artistic
capabilities, and the Italian who has
achieved complete mastery of it not
only very justly respects himself highly.
but is even respected in AN extraordinary
degree by his countrymen. The best
players arc said to come from Naples,
where n native who does not ut least
think that he can play upon the man
dolin is a curiosity. Here in New York
we have not a who dcServedly rank
high as experts. Prof. Dominica Tip
aldi is regarded as 2 very correct and
artistic performer, but in expression and
~delicacy of tone shading Signor +. a.
Errlco, who is proprietor OF an Italian
art and curiosity store in John street,
and only an amateur mandolinist, is
deemed by critics the most finished
artist here. But inferior players find
as much employment as they want in
teaching the mandolin to the young
men and women of Gotham's upper
ten" and from present indications the
instrument will be the rage when fash.
ion returns to the town with the early
frostS.
A good mandolin costs from S25 tc
$50, and all procurable here are i'm
ported from NapleS-M y. Sua.